Block-making machine



H. E. CAVANAH AND M. G. SCHOLL.

Patnted July 5, 1921.

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IN VEN TORS,

A TTORNEY.

might be UNITED STAT-Es Piuriaiar OFFICE.

HOWARD E. CAVANAI-I A ND MATHEW (j, SCHOLL, OF SANTA BARBARA.,CALIFORNIA.

BLOCK-MAKING- MACHINE.

Application filed May 24,

Z 10 all wiz-0m. t may cof/warn.'

Be it known that we, HOWARD E. CAVA- NAH and Mii'rrinw Soi-1oLL,'citizens of the United States, residing at Santa Ban bara, in the county ofySanta Barbara and State of California, have jointly invented new anduseful' Improvements in Block- Making Machines, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to block making machines, and particularly toconcrete block making 'machines forforming hollow blocks. The inventioncomprises in the main a fixed member and a movable member. A moldor dieis detachably joined to -the movable member and sectional cores are`arranged to divide the mold intov compartments. 'Ihe cores are likewisedetachably joined to the movable member.. The mold -is preferablyrectangular in form and is provided with side and end walls and is openat what termed the top or base. vThe interior'surface of the sideandfend ,walls of the mold are -singularly disposed to each other,thatis to say, the mold box or block has its end'membe'rs and side membersVso joined to each other that'the 4members are spaced widerat thebottomthan at the top, so that' the wall members seem lto` V divergefrom the top downwardly or converge from the bottom upwardly. Each ofthe core members has its side walls arranged at angles to each other,and from what would be'terined the top of the core member the wallswould converge downwardly. A pad placed on the fixed member andconforming to the configuration made by the core members and the sidesof the block member fits between the core member andthe side walls ofthemold. Concrete is then poured into the open space between the block moldand the core members. movable member and a bracket supporting a segmentgear is fastened to the iixed member, and handle means. is attached tothe segirrentV so that when the handle is revolved the segment meshingwith the vrack will cause` the movable member to move relatively to thefixed member. When this is done any concrete within the spaced portionswill be forced outwardly and left standing in the form of the block.l

The'main object of this invention is to reduce labor cost in themanufacture of hollow blocks by aA machine of this characterSpecification of Letters Patent.

A rack is fastened'to the Patented July 5, 1921.

1920. Serial No. 383,939.

which may be operated by one man. Bi further object is to reducehand-tainping and to form 'a firmer block having a harder back thanheretofore. It will be understood that forcing the movable member downover the fixed member, will cause the concrete to pack, for the wallsAbetween the cores and the mold block being angularly disposed to eachother will tend to force the concrete downwardly and grip it. Thisgripping action and pressing action tends to force the cement in theconcrete to the surface with the result that a harder block orweather-resisting block is made. Likewise the concrete can be usedrin awetter state than is ordinarily possible. It is a known fact thatPortland cement is'most satisfactory when used with a great deal ofwater, and this block machine is particularly suited for the usepfPortland cement. After the movable member has moved downwardly asufficient distance leaving the concrete block upstanding, the pad whichfills the bottom space between the cores and the sides of the blockmold, may be readily removed and to a suitable place for drying theblock, and another pad placed within the mold block.

In practising the invention it has been found that movement of themovable member downwardly a slight distance, then tapping the concreteslightlyl and brushing off the'residue even with the core and 'the blockmember,'will vform a harder concrete block of more uniform height.

The invention has for further objects the provision of anvimprov'edblock machine which will be su'perior'inpoint of relativesimplicity and ineXpensiveness, Ataken in conjunction with compactnessin form and attractiveness in appearance, durability, and positivenessand reliability in action, as well as'general efficiency andserviceability.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel and useful provision, formation, construction, combination,association, and inter-relation of parts, members and features, all ashereinafter described, shown in the drawing, and finally pointed out inclaims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation, certain parts being shown insection, of an improved block making machine, and taken on the linel-ml, Fig. 3; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary cross sectional carried the.movable member B lare view of theV machine shown in Fig. 1, and takenon the line a12.r2, Fig. V1, and looking in the direction of theappended arrows;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1,and taken on the line 33, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a concrete block made by the blockmaking machine.

Corresponding' parts in all the figures are designated bythe samereference characters.

Referring particularly tothe drawing, A designates a side supportingframe member, B a side frame member for holding a block mold, lC a blockmold, D core members, E a beam to which is attached. the core members D,F a standard to which the Vbeam E and slidably arranged rela-tivethereto, G spacer members for maintaining the block mold C in position,and H pads removably-resting upon the stand F and within the spaceformed b the interior wall surface of the block mold upward.

.along with j the C and the exterior surfaces of the cores D; all ofwhich elements are used in practising one embodiment of the invention.

YThe frame A is ordinarilyembedded in or attached to some lbase materialor member, as at 1, so that the frame is held rigidly Likewise thevframe member or standard F is also embedded in the material 1.andvinaddition the frame member F is provided at its lower portion as at 2,with in# wardly projecting parts 3, which partsfincase interior portion4 a block member rlhis particular construction insures a maximum ofrigidity. p Attached to the frame member A as at 6 are brackets 7. Thesebrackets are held in position to the framemember A by means of bolts 8.A ournal 9 is provided on' the brackets as at 10 and a shaft 11 issupported within the journals.` As will be observed by referring to'lling brackets. 14 are 'members 12 and held in position thereto by Fig.1 the shaft extends transversely between each of the frame members A.

The side frame Vmembers B which are used in connectionwith Vthe blockmold or die C are provided at "each end with filler members 12, whichfiller members extend transversely betweenthe members B. Bolts 13 vholdthe filler members 12 in position. joined to the Afiller means of bolts15. Y Y The beam E is likewise provided at each end with ring` brackets16 held to said beam by means of bolts 17. The ring brackets 16faresimilar to the ring brackets 14 mounted uponY the filler member 12.

Attached to the'members A as at 18 and 19 are outstandingcup-shapedbracket mem bers 2O,-whichvr chambered portion ofthecup-'shaped bracket members 20 have contained `therein guide rods 21,which rods are 'parallel with. and spacedly arranged from the framemembers A, as shown in the drawing. The ring brackets "14 and 16 whichare joined to the members 12 and E are so arranged that they slidecoaXially upon the guide rod members 21,-so that the side frame membersB and the beam E ma move upwardly or downwardlydependent upon certainother mechanism, A Racks a are joined to one of theframe members B andnear the ends thereof, as at 22, by means of the bolts 13 which passthrough the ller members 12. Keyedztolthe shaft-V11 as at 23 are segmentgears Each of the brackets 7 isprovidedl with `intermediate spacersjoined to thebracket arms 7 Vbymeans of bolts. Idlers 26 are Yrotatablymounted intermediate the members 25 andthe teethvof the idlers 26 meshwith the teeth` of the segment'24 and the rack a. Intermediate the shaft11 and Viixedly joined thereto as at 27 is a lever 28. KA movement ofthelever downwardly in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 willcause Ythe-*rack a to likewise move downwardly, and .inasmuch as thevrack is joinedto the Vbeam EV andthe side members B, the side members .Band the beam E will move downwardly. V.The side members .B supportbetweenthem ak concrete block mold C, which block moldis provided withend extensions 29 between which extensions extend spacer members 30 andthese spacer members 30 and the block mold extension portions 29 arerigidly held to the side members B'by means of transverse bolts 31lpassing through said members. The block `mold or die is so' Yformedthat the topV of same is slightly narrower than vthe bottom; that 'isyto say, therside walls 32 and end members 33 are all arrangedat anangletoeach other, and which Y angle would be convergently' downward, thusmaking the base portion of said block mold or vdie wider than the topportion; in

other words, it is in the form .of a hollow in tangular tion extendingupwardly or just the reverse Y in the case of the block mold C. Thiscausesthe various wall portions of both the Vcore members D and theinterior surfaces of thel j block mold C to converge .toward one anotherat the top and to diverge near the vbase thereof. For clearness, theshowing-lin the various figures has beenpurposelyexagger ated toV showthis condition.`

sion whichV is integrally formed, whichg'extension need not haveangularly idisposed Vwalls, Yand which extension is joined .tothe 'beamE as a-t 34 by means of bolts 35. f y

The stand F extends. upwardly aV suficient distance so that the endportions ofthe same as 'at 36 may serve .toW support apad H.

1 Each .of the i core. members D is provided with'an eXtenslotted as at38 to` accommodate certain ofv the bolt members 85 which holdthe cores Dto the beam E. Other slottedl portionsv as 39 are merely. arranged so asto brush off any concrete that might fall on top of the beam Ff, so thatit. could not harden there and clog the machine.

The pads H are preferably made T-shaped in cross section in order toallow the hngers to grip an edge 37 of same when it is desired to movethe pad with the concrete block resting thereon from the top 36 of thestands F. The pads Hare so designed that they completely fill the spaceformed by the inside walls of the bloclrmold C and the outer wallsurfaces of the cores D, so that when concrete 40. is poured into theintervening space formed by the cores D and the block mold C, theconcrete will be retained therein and prevented from escaping by the topsurface of the pad H. 1n other words, the pad acts as a base member.

Revolving the handle 28 in the `direction sho-wn by the arrow in Fig. 2will cause the rack a to move downwardly and inasmuch as the framemembers B and the beam are oined to said rack the core members D and theblock mold C will tend to move downwardly in step with the rack a whilethe pad H supported as at 36 on the stand F will remain stationary, thusforcing any concrete that may be contained within the spaced portionsformed by the cores D and the side walls of the block mold C, upwardly,and leave an upstanding block similar to that shown in Fig. 4t. Quiteobviously if the wall portions were given as much angle as is shown inthe figures, it would be impossible for the pad H to move between theopen spaces, but in actual practice the pad is made of a widthcorresponding with the width of the top of the mold C and the cores D,so that this objection is readily overcome.

The reason for the slotted portions 38 in the stand F is now obvious,inasmuch as the bolt members 35 holding the core D to the beam E couldnot move downwardly unless there are slots as shown. 1n addition thestands F coperate with the guide rods 21 and serve to make the movablemembers rigid in-their movement, with little` or no play so that whenthe handle means 28 is turned there will be a uniform downward movementof all parts. The handle means 28 of course might be put at one end ofthe shaft, but it has been found that by placing the handle meansintermediate the shaft, as shown in Fig. 1, the torsion upon the shaft11 is equal in both directions and a more uniform movement of themovable members is obtainable.

In certain cases it has been found desirable to make a portion of thecore members D with the opposite sides as y and e parallel for a short,distance, and then to have the side surfaces converge downwardly, as hasbeen explained. By having the parallel sides y and e, a movement of thecores and the block mold C downwardly a short distance, allows theplastic material 40 to move in relation to said cores and block moldmore easily, without breaking or unevenness. Slightly tapping theconcrete then brushing the residue olf, allows, when a further movementof .thecores and the block mold C are moved under action of the lever28, to form concrete blocks of more uniform height.

rihe operation is as follows:

f it is desired to form a concrete block similar to that shown in Fig. 4having a certain number ofhollowportions, as shown, the cores D would bedetachably joined by means of the bolts 35 tothe framevmember E, and theblock mold C would be detachably joined to the frame member B by thebolts 81. A pad H would be placed within the spaced portions formed bythe cores D and the sides of the block mold C, so that a leg portion asil would rest upon the top surface 36 of the stand F. After this is donethe handle 28 would be revolved upwardly so that the device would beready for pouring concrete within the spaced portions. After concrete Ocompletely filled the intervening spaced portion the handle 28 would berevolved downwardly a short distance and the concrete tapped slightlyand then the excess brushed off and the handle completely revolveddownwardly, so that the block would stand in position for removing vfromthe machine. The particular sloping surfaces of the cores and the blockmold would give-a squeezing effect to the concrete and tend to pack andtrowel the sides of the block bringing the cement to the surface. Thepad H with the upstanding concrete block would then be removed from themachine and carried to a place for drying, and another pad could beinserted and the operation repeated at will 1t is manifest that manyvariations and changes may be made, with respect Vto the disclosure ofthe foregoing description, and the accompanying drawing, in adapting theinvention to varying conditions of use and service, without departingfromv the true spirit of the invent-ion.

Having thus disclosed our invention, we claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent:

1. A device for forming concrete blocks, comprising a mold having sideand end walls, a core within the mold, a pad set in said open space outof contact with the compartment walls thereof, and means whereby the padis capable of being passed therethrough; said core being formed withmeans for compressing material in the mold.

:2. A device for forming concrete blocks, comprising a mold having sideand end walls, a core within the mold; a removable pad'within the spaceformed by the mold and core, a support Jfor said pad, and means forcausing said mold and core to move relatively to said pad; said corevbeing formed with means for compressing material in the mold.

3. yA device for forming concrete blocks, comprising a mold having sideand yend walls, a core within vthe mold, a pad set in said open spaceout 01": contact with the compartment walls thereof, means whereby thecore and mold are movable relatively to the pad in an axial direction;said core and mold being formed so as to compress material in thevmoldwhen the core and mold move relatively to the pad; .Y c

4f. A. block-making machine, comprising a mold, a core disposed withinthe mold casing, and a removable pad within the mold casing; a memberdetachably holding said mold, and a member to which said core isdetachably joined; a frame, and means for slidably mounting said lastnamed members to said frame, whereby the core and mold may be movedtogether relative to the pad leaving an upstanding block lio-rmed by themold; said core being formed with means for compressing the material inthe mold.

SQA device for forming blocks, compris ing a mold having side and endwalls which Vare angularly arranged to each other, a removable padclosing the bottom oi said mold,

and means for causing said mold to move so as to pass the padtherethrough, wheren by plastic material contained within the mold andsupported by the pad will be squeezedV inwardly and downwardly by the?.angularly disposed walls and caused to pack.

6.v Afdevice for forming blocks, comprising a mold having side and endwalls which are arranged angularly to each other, a reA movable padclosing the bottom of said mold, and aV core arranged todivide the Vmoldinto compartments, and means for causing said mold and core to move soas to pass the pad therethrough, whereby plastic material containedwithin the mold and supported by the pad will be squeezed inwardly anddownwardly Vby the angularly disposed walls and caused to pack.

7. A device for forming blocks, comprising 'a mold having side and endwalls, a core within the mold, the walls of which core are angularlydisposed to each other,faY removable pad closing the bottomY of saidmold, and means for causing said core and mold to move so as to pass thepad there,

through, whereby any plasticmaterial contained within the moldandsupported by the pad will be squeezed inwardly and downwardly by theangularly disposed walls and caused to pack. 1

8'. A device for forming'blocks, compris'- ing a mold having side andend walls and a core within the mold, the walls of said mold beingdivergently disposed from the from theV top to the base, a corewithinthe mold, the walls or' which are convergently disposed to eachother, a pad setin the openv space out kof contact with the compartmentwalls thereof; means beingprovided whereby the core and mold are movablerelative to the ad in anAaXial direction. l

l0. device VVfor forming hollow blocks, comprising a mold havingsideandend walls divergently disposed to each other from the top to thebase, a core within the mold, the walls of which'are convergentlydisposed to each other, a pad set in the open space out of -contact withthe compartment walls thereof; means being provided whereby the core andmold are movable relative to the pad in an axial directiomso thatVany-'plastic material contained within the mold and supported' by thepad will be squeezed inwardly and downwardly of the angularlyY disposedwalls and caused to pack. Y Y l1. A block-'making machine comprising amold,ja core disposed within the mold'casing,l and a removablepad'within the mold casing; a member detachably holding said mold, and amember to whichsaid core is detachably joined ,la frame support providedwith spaced guide rods, means joined to the member `supporting said*mold and theV guide rods whereby said member may be moved relatively tosaid frame support; and means joining the member to,` which the wereattached with the guiderod; a rack disposed between said member holdingthe mold and the member 'holding the core; bracket members mounted uponthe frame support, a shaft mounted in.V bearings joining saidbracketmembers, a segment lreyed said shaft, an idler meshingwith the teeth oil'said segmentY and said rack and a handle iixedly mountedupon saidshaft, whereby upon movement of said handle the members holdingl thecore andY mold are caused to move downwardly or upwardly upon the guidemeans. A

l2. A block-making machine, comprising a mold casing, a4 core disposedwithin the mold casing, a member detachably'holding said mold, and amember to which said `core is detachably joined; a frame support pro-`hollow blocks,

. racks disposed between said member holding the mold and the memberholding the vcore; bracket members mounted upon the frame support, ashaft mounted in bearings joining said bracket members, segments keyedto said shaft, an idler meshing with the teeth of said segments and saidracks and a handle fixedly mounted upon said shaft, whereby uponmovement of said handie the members holding the core and the mold arecaused to move downwardly or upwardly upon the guide means; there beinga removable pad disposed within the mold casing and forming a base .forsaid mold casing. Y

13. ri block-making machine comprising a mold, a core disposed withinthe mold casing, a member detachably holding said mold, and a. member towhich said core is detachably joined; a frame support provided withspaced guide rods, means joined to the member supporting said mold andthe guide rods whereby said member may be moved relatively to said framesupport; and means joining the member to which the core is attached withthe guide rod; racks disposedbetween said member holding the mold andthe member holding the core; bracket members mounted upon the framesupport, a shaft mounted in bearings holding said bracket members,segments keyed to said shaft, an idler meshing with the teeth of saidsegments and said racks and a handle iXedly mounted upon said shaft,whereby upon movement of said handle the members holding the core andmold are' 'caused to move downwardly or upwardly upon the guide means;there being a removable pad disposed within the mold casing and forminga base for said mold casing; said pad being out of contact with thewalls thereof and adapted to move relatively within theY compartmentsformed by the core members and the mold in an axial direction.

lll. A block-making machine comprising mold, cores disposed within themold casing, a member detachably holding said mold, and a member towhich said cores are detachably joined; a frame support provided withspaced guide rods, means joined to the member supporting said mold andthe guide rods whereby said member may be moved attached with the guiderod; racks disposed between said member holding the mold and the memberholding the cores; bracket members mounted upon the frame support; ashaft mounted in bea-rings holding said bracket members, segments keyedto said sha-ft, idlers meshing with the teeth of said segments and saidracks and a handle iiXedly mounted upon said shaft, whereby uponmovement of said handle the members holding the cores and mold arecaused to move downwardly or upwardly upon the guide means; there beingav removable pad T shaped in cross section disposed within the moldcasing and forming a base for said mold casing; said pad being out ofContact with the walls thereof and adapted to move relatively within thecompartments formed by the core members and the mold in an axialdirection; and a rigid supporting means for holding said pad within thecompartments.

15'. A device for forming concrete blocks, comprising a mold having sideand end walls, a core within the mold, the walls of which core havetheir opposite side outer surfaces parallel for a short distance andthen the remaining wall distances are angularly disposed to each other,a removable pad closing the bottom of said mold, means for causing 'saidcore and mold to move so as to pass the pad therethrough, whereby anyplastic material contained within the mold and supported bythe pad willbe squeezed inwardly and downwardly by the angularly disposed walls andcaused to pack.

16. A device for forming hollow blocks, comprising a mold having sideand end walls divergently disposed to each other from the top to thebase, a core within the mold, the walls of which are parallel for ashort distance near the top of the core, and then are convergentlydisposed to each other the remaining distance, a pad set in an openspare out of contact with the compartment walls thereof; means beingprovided whereby the core and mold are movable relative to the pad in anaxial direction.

ln testimony whereof, wehave signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HOWARD E. CAVANAH. MATHEVV G. SCHOLL. 1Witnesses WVM. S. PORTER, E. S.PORTER.

